Lord Jim Youth Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #10

"He followed me as manageable as a little child, with an obedient air, with no sort of manifestation, rather as though he had been waiting for me there to come along and carry him off." (15.1)

This father-son bond between Jim and Marlow crops up in a few places in Lord Jim. In this scene, their relationship makes Jim seem all the more vulnerable, like a little tyke who relies on his papa for just about everything.

Quote #11

"Why hurl defiance at the universe? This was not a proper frame of mind to approach any undertaking, an improper frame of mind not only for him, I said, but for any man." (23.5)

Marlow sounds a bit like an overbearing dad here. He thinks he knows what's best for Jim and slams the kid for his moody, adolescent behavior. Marlow is totally right, of course, but his tone is a little patronizing.

Quote #12

"He had the gift of finding a special meaning in everything that happened to him." (32.5)

Jim? Self-centered? Never! In all seriousness, the young are famous for thinking the world revolves around them (come on, you know it's true), and to the older, wiser Marlow, that self-centeredness seems more than a little stupid. In fact, it just might be reckless.